


For Curley

by bookscape



Category: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 10:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20208265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookscape/pseuds/bookscape
Summary: Curley volunteers to meet the captain at the end of a covert mission.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> How Curley left the Seaview.

_ **For Curley** _

_ **by Sue Kite** _

**As I have watched the episodes on the Voyage DVD's, I am once again fascinated with the character of Chief Curley Jones. The death of the actor who played him, Henry Kulkey, left a void in the program that was later filled by actor Terry Becker as Chief Sharkey, but there was never any explanation as to what happened to Curley. **

**I have attempted to fill that void.....**

**By the way, there really is a North Andaman Island and it's owned by India. The place names and the name of the guide, Kidseri, (means 'to come and go') are real Andaman places and names. I conjectured what it might be like in the mid to late 70's by what's there now. **  
  
---  
  
**Chapter 1**

**Chief of the Boat Curley Jones didn’t have the slightest clue as to why he had volunteered to go and pick up the skipper from the rendezvous point near the Andaman city of Kalipur.City?Hah!It was more of a downscaled, primitive resort area, with an even more primitive village nearby.But that was okay, too.The breezes were nice, when it wasn’t raining.He had come by small cruiser, a tourist affair, from Bangkok, where the _Seaview _lay in the harbor, presumably making ‘emergency repairs.’It was a cover for Captain Crane’s excursion to Northern Andaman Island, part of a small chain of islands belonging to India.**

**While he respected the new captain and was certain of his loyalty to the boat and crew, he still took issue with some of Crane’s decisions, mainly the early ones—starting with that stealth arrival at the beginning of his tenure as captain.That had rankled for a couple of months, although he had understood intellectually what the young captain had been trying to do.Curley had understood, but was galled that not only had the skipper managed to get to the control room unseen during his watch, but that the COB had been called to task for Crane’s limited success.It didn’t help that Admiral Nelson had ‘discussed’ the topic with the new captain; it had still irritated him.**

**Later, when they had almost died when the sub sank, he had seen the skipper in a new light and his previous irritation had been partially supplanted by respect.Crane was as deeply devoted to the boat as he or any of the others were and he took his command extremely seriously.But somehow, when they were all off duty, Curley had occasionally asked the admiral, the XO or most of the other officers to have a drink with him at Marcel’s bar and grill.For some reason, he had never asked the skipper.**

**And then there were these spy missions.Crane seemed to be called on to do these things at the drop of a hat.Running the boat was a full time operation, Curley thought.That ONI and other feds felt it necessary to continually call on the man seemed dangerous to him.Didn’t they train spies for that sort of thing?He shook his head.That little incident where Crane had been brainwashed and had come close to killing the admiral just served to prove Curley’s point.The captain had made dangerous enemies.**

**Then he backed up his thoughts.The admiral had been asked to do espionage almost as much as the skipper had.But somehow, for Nelson, it was different.Curley shook his head and quit trying to figure out his convoluted thinking.It was too hot and humid to do any serious thinking.The only thing he did know was that now they and the boat in general were most likely up for target practice by any two-bit crackpot with a little power and a big grudge.**

**So here he was acting like a dumb tourist waiting to meet the skipper.What Crane had come here for was not for him to know.He didn’t care—most of the time, that is.The area was beautiful, with all its streams and beaches.Yes, he was a sucker for water.Always loved it, always would, in all its forms.Well, most of it, he thought, slapping away a mosquito from the back of his neck.But Crane had been near Saddle Peak, the tallest point on this island.The tourist pamphlet had said it was about twenty-one hundred feet.Not a huge height, but certainly not something Curley would think of as fun.**

**Crane was supposedly returning on the hiking trails and would be back in Kalipur this evening.That was all Curley had been told, other than some information as to what to do if the captain didn’t show up.He sincerely hoped that the captain showed up on time.Then they could get back to the sub, be done with this spy stuff and the insects and rain.**

**After walking the beaches, visiting the little village, fishing in the surf, Curley had a bite to eat and then returned to his tiny cabin.Following a dose of antacid to offset that curry he had just eaten, he went to his bed to take a nap.There were still several hours before the captain’s arrival.The bed creaked ominously when he sat down.He frowned.That, like so many things, reminded him of his impending physical.He wasn’t looking forward to it.He pushed that thought away, just as he did all of the previous times he had been reminded.Curley was determined that it was he who would decide when he left the service, not some portside doctor and the Navy regs that the admiral had to pretty much adhere to.**

**A couple of hours later, Curley woke up with a start to the drumming of heavy rain on the wood-slat roof.In fact, he realized with irritation, it was rain dripping into his face that had done the actual waking.He looked at his watch in consternation.The skipper should have been here by now.Gazing out the window, Curley decided to give it another hour before reading the contingency instructions.After all, this was a rain that would make Noah pause.As if to punctuate his decision, a large bolt of lightning brightened the room, followed by a monstrously loud clap of thunder.**

**Curley waited, and waited some more, constantly looking at his watch.What could have kept the man?Finally, a couple of hours before sunset, Curley opened up the envelope that contained the next instructions.It was short and sweet.‘_Find Kidseri in the village.He will guide you.’_Kidseri?With a sigh, Curley simply walked out the door and headed toward the village that lay in comfortable and ramshackle disorder along the beach to the north.A slightly clad, dark-skinned old woman was cooking some kind of fish concoction.She called to him to buy some of her dinner, but he shook his head.“Kidseri?” he asked.**

**Frowning, the woman pointed toward her pot.Again Curley shook his head, but he got a notion of what might open her up.“I am looking for Kidseri.Kidseri.”Then he handed her some rupees—the equivalent of what might buy a pack of gum in the states.**

**She smiled and nodded and then point down the road, giving rapid-fire instructions.**

**“Whoa!” Curley said, motioning for her to slow down.**

**Gazing at him like some ignorant little boy, she made more motions, then drew in the dirt.Three houses down the dirt road, to the left, then four houses, then to the right, second house.That was Kidseri’s house, she motioned. Or at least he thought that was what she said.**

**He followed the directions and was soon standing outside a hut sitting at the edge of the forest, calling the name he had been given.A younger woman emerged, a young child on her hip.The child was naked, the woman only had on a grass-like skirt.Curley kept his eyes on her face.“Kidseri?” he asked.She nodded and ducked back into the small house.Soon a short, dark man came out.He began talking and gesturing at the tall hills toward the interior of the island, pantomiming the act of guiding someone along a trail.Curley began to get an impression that Kidseri was most likely the captain’s guide several days before.He pulled out a small photograph of Captain Crane taken in civilian attire.**

**When he showed it to Kidseri, the Andamanese man nodded and grinned happily.“Lee,” he said, drawing out the e’s.He gestured again.This time Curley was able to follow the story.Kidseri had taken the skipper into the mountain area and had left him at the captain’s instructions.It had been a little over three days ago.**

**Curley gestured his desire for Kidseri to guide him into the mountains to follow Crane.This time Kidseri shook his head and then explained by pointing toward the setting sun, that it was too late in the day.Curley frowned in frustration, even as the guide motioned that he would guide him first thing in the morning.All he could do was agree.Curley placed a small handful of rupees in the man’s hand with a promise of more if they could find the captain.Kidseri bowed several times and grinned happily.**

**All Curley could do was return to the tourist complex.The headquarters of the tourist company was serving dinner and Curley bought something that didn’t look as potent as his lunch.After he had finished, he returned to his cabin and tried to get comfortable on the soggy bed.The mosquito netting kept off most of the insects, thankfully.But the damp sheets?He didn’t think he would be able to sleep, but apparently he did.He woke up to the screaming of birds and the vision of a dark, almost naked man squatting on the floor in front of his door in the early morning light.Jerking the netting aside, he saw that it was Kidseri, who, when he saw that Curley was awake, grinned happily and started speaking and gesturing.**

**“I’m hurrying, already,” Curley grumbled, wondering if there was any privacy on this island.He motioned the native to turn around and then he changed into clean, although, like the sheets, slightly damp, clothes.Not wanting to linger, the chief grabbed a quick cup of tea, irritated that they didn’t have coffee.He wondered just how the skipper had made it these past few days without his ‘cuppa joe.’**

**It wasn’t long before they were heading through the forest on a trail that seemed only wide enough for a cat to pass.Kidseri seemed almost catlike himself; barely making the branches shiver as he passed them.Curley, on the other hand, felt clumsy on the path.He tried to watch his guide, but ended up watching his feet more often.**

**After several hours, Curley had to call a short halt.He was puffing like a steam engine and the sweat was pouring down his face.His sides and legs hurt.His back hurt.Why didn’t he admit it?Everything hurt right now.It had been a long time since he had hiked like this.Wiping his face on his now unbuttoned shirt, Curley saw that Kidseri was nowhere to be seen.He pulled his canteen from around his neck, but hesitated, thinking that the captain may need something when they found him.Where had the Andamanese gone?He almost called out, but decided that whatever reason Crane was out here, it wasn’t just to look at the local flora.There may be unfriendlies out here.That had the COB looking over his shoulder and straining his ears to hear sounds that didn’t belong.**

**Just as suddenly as he had left, Kidseri returned, seeming to almost materialize in front of him.The small man just beckoned for Curley to follow him.They continued up the path, but Kidseri seemed to understand the COB’s need and didn’t set quite as brisk a pace.A short rain shower passed overhead and Curley muttered under his breath as the water ran down his neck.After what seemed an interminable time, Kidseri stopped and studied the ground around him.Curley could see nothing different, but apparently the Andamanese had.Kidseri continued to study the ground and the bushes, occasionally stopping to listen to the noises of the forest.When the native did that, the chief did the same, but could hear nothing out of the ordinary.While he could hear a slight deviation in a boat’s engines, especially _Seaview’s, _the chief couldn’t differentiate the different insects and birds to save him.**

**Kidseri pointed to the brush to the left and Curley quietly, or at least as quietly as he could, moved in the direction the native had indicated.He had only gone a short way when the chief began hearing movement ahead of him.It was like the thrashing of a wild animal and Curley wondered what the small man behind him had led him to.He broke through into a tiny clearing and found the captain.Crane looked worse than the chief felt.The younger man was disheveled and using a stout pole as club, swinging at something that clearly wasn’t there.He hadn’t seen them approach.**

**The Andamanese guide tugged at the chief’s sleeve and indicated that there were others in the area and that they all had to be quiet.Curley could only assume that he was referring to Crane’s enemies and he grabbed the captain’s arm to warn him.With a sudden move, the skipper swung around and clipped him alongside the face.Seeing stars, Curley could only be grateful that Crane had used his fist and not the pole.“Captain,” he hissed.“It’s me, Curley.”Crane didn’t seem to hear or understand him and rushed him again, pole raised.With only a slight moment of regret, Curley made his own, more calculated, jab and knocked the captain to the ground.Surprisingly, Captain Crane was out cold.The chief didn’t think he had hit him that hard, but apparently he had.**

**He didn’t have time to check for other injuries; Kidseri was gesturing that they had to leave.Curley nodded and hoisted the captain over his shoulder.This was when he was thankful that Crane, although tall, was very slender.With a nod, the native led the way through the brush even as the rain began to fall again.They quickly came to another path and Kidseri picked up his pace.Curley felt the muscles cramp in his side and his breath come in gasps.Sweat poured down his face and back and his head pounded.A familiar heaviness settled in his legs, but the chief pushed most of the discomfort from his mind.There was a job to do and he was going to get it done.**

**They crossed a stream, and then climbed a slight incline.They were heading up the mountain, but by a slightly different route than the one they had been taking.They walked along a narrow shelf that worked its way up the side of a cliff.Curley felt his breath catch in fear and he shifted the skipper on his shoulder to more easily navigate the path.They walked around an outcropping of rock and Kidseri stopped.He pointed and pushed between the vines and brush that had lined the entire route along the cliff.Amazingly, there was a narrow fissure behind the foliage and the native disappeared.Curley followed.**

**The fissure opened up somewhat inside, allowing the chief to ease his burden to the ground.It was dark with only a bit of light filtering from above as well as from the entrance.Kidseri gestured.All Curley could make out was that the Andamanese was going to continue on the path and that he was to keep the captain quiet.Curley nodded and the little man was suddenly gone.He sat on the hard ground a moment, waiting for his chest to stop hurting.Finally his breath came more easily, the pain subsided and he was able to turn his attention to the captain.**

**Crane seemed to have no apparent injuries until the chief checked his legs.His left ankle was greatly swollen and there were small, but bloody cuts.When he touched the spot, the skipper groaned softly in pain.Curley pulled away and Crane was once more quiet.The chief would have to wait until the danger was past before he could do a more thorough exam.He pulled out the gun from inside its holster and took off the safety.Then he waited.As the pain subsided, fatigue set in.He tried to keep his eyes open, but it was getting more and more difficult.The sound of footsteps and muted voices came and then continued on along the path.He continued to wait, struggling to stay awake.Finally, he dozed.**

**“Curley?” a soft voice awoke him.**

**“Skipper?” he answered in a whisper.The small cave was almost entirely dark.It had rained again.Occasional drops of water fell down on him from the crack above.**

**“Where are we?” Crane asked, his voice also a whisper, almost in his ear.**

**“In a cave.That guide, Kidseri, led us here.”**

**“I don’t remember,” came the puzzled reply.**

**“That’s because I carried you, Captain,” Curley said sardonically.“You were out of your head back near the path and making too much noise.Sorry, I kind of had to, uh, pop you one.”**

**“That’s why the side of my face feels numb.”Crane chuckled.“And I thought I was the boxer.”**

**“Middle weight, sir.I was heavy weight.”**

**There was more soft laughter in the darkness, then a groan.******

**“You all right, Skipper?”******

**“I got cocky and thought I was home free coming back.It had been so easy during the reconnaissance.On the way out, I felt something nail my ankle.Thought it was a snake, but seems it was something that imitated one.”**

**“Huh?”******

**“I can’t tell you much here, Curley, but the place I was checking out had safeguards around the perimeter.They had a trap on the path, something a guerilla fighter would be proud of.It was a dart from a loaded spring in the form of a small snake.I thought I had been bit by a snake and took a little time to do what anyone is supposed to do when snake-bit.Then I saw the dart almost hidden in the grass and I just took off.”**

**“But there was poison in the dart,” stated Curley.******

**“Yeah, just as I figured, but I didn’t have a choice.I had to keep going.Some of the symptoms seem to imitate snakebite, though.I think my pursuers thought I would just pass out and they could pick me up at their leisure.”**

**Curley smiled.“But you fooled them.”**

**Crane sighed.“It wasn’t easy, but the streams I waded seemed to take a bit of the poison out of the wound.Or the cool water kept me more aware of what was going on. Good thing you showed up when you did, though.”**

**“The way you were going, you would have taken them out just as easily as you almost took me out,” Curley said with a chuckle.**

**“Did I hit you?Sorry about that.”**

**“Uh, Skipper, you just took me by surprise.It wasn’t that bad.”**

**Soft laughter and then, “I won’t tell if you don’t.” __**  
  
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	2. Chapter 2

**  
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**Now Curley laughed.Despite the circumstances, he was feeling comfortable around his commander.“You thirsty, sir?”** ****

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**“Yes, I am.I got a little to drink out of the forks of the trees, but haven’t been able to get enough.”** ****

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**“I bet you’re hungry, too.I do have a candy bar I brought with me from the boat.Probably kind of squashed by now, but still good.”** ****

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**“No, just the water.Just thirsty.”** ****

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**Curley was concerned.If Crane had been on the run for the last twenty-four hours, probably more, he doubted that the skipper had had anything to eat.He handed Crane his canteen and listened as his captain drank avidly.When the skipper handed it back, there was only a little water left in it.“You get enough, sir?”** ****

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**“Didn’t want to be totally greedy, Chief.”Crane groaned again, this time a little louder.“Sorry.Just do what you have to do to shut me up if anyone approaches.”** ****

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**“I will, Skipper.But I think Kidseri will return and then we can get back to Kalipur.”** ****

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**“If someone isn’t watching for us.”**

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**That was a sobering thought.“How did you find Kidseri?He’s, uh, interesting.”** ****

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**“I was told to contact him.He is a good guide.He’s discreet and he doesn’t like what’s going on in the hills anymore than our government does,” Crane answered and then fell silent for a few minutes.“Curley, can I ask you a question?”** ****

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**“Of course, Skipper.”** ****

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**“Why did you, uh, where did you get the name Curley?”** ****

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**He thought he knew what Crane was really going to ask and he felt some gratitude that the skipper hadn’t asked.“Well, when I was just a little kid, I had long hair.It was curly and blonde.My mother and both my grandmothers thought it was cute.My father thought it was sissy, but I was almost five before my mother finally allowed it to be cut.After I had gotten used to all my older brothers and sisters calling me Curley, I kind of thought it was better than my real name.”** ****

**  
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**“Rupert Eddington?”** ****

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**Curley winced.“Skipper, you are one of the few people who has used that name since I got out of boot camp.”He paused.“And the only person to use it since then that didn’t end up with a few knocked-out teeth.”** ****

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**“Fair enough, Curley,” Crane said softly.There was humor in his voice, but it sounded distant.**

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**“You okay, Captain?”** ****

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**“Just tired, Chief.”** ****

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**Curley was trying to remember if it was dangerous to allow a poison victim to sleep.No, he didn’t think it was.“Why don’t you just get some sleep?I think we’re perfectly safe here for now.”He was silent for a while and wasn’t surprised when he felt the skipper’s head sag against his shoulder.Curley still felt tired, too, but was not about to fall asleep this time.With Crane using him for a pillow and the gun ready for any intruders, he kept watch.Another rain shower came and then dissipated.After an indeterminate time, he felt the captain stir and sit up against the rock wall.**

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**“Curley?”** ****

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**“Yes, Captain?”** ****

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**“Thanks.I don’t know how long I was out, but I appreciate you watching out for me.”There was a brief pause. “And for being a pillow.”** ****

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**“No problem, Skipper,” Curley said, shifting positions and trying to get the circulation back in his arm.“I bet you want to know why I volunteered to come and rendezvous with you,” he said suddenly.He berated himself the moment he had finished uttering the words.The skipper had declined to ask, so why did he feel obligated to bring it up?** ****

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**“The thought crossed my mind.”** ****

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**“Because I’m old and fat?” Curley asked sarcastically.**

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**Crane sucked in a deep breath and then slowly let it out.“Chief, I’m not going to BS you.This is a land job.I would have expected Kowalski or Franklin.If this had been an undersea assignment, I would have been surprised if you hadn’t been here.You’re the best underwater man in the Navy.Or out of it.”** ****

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**“Thanks, Skipper.Sorry I was so rude,” Curley said penitently.“May I ask you another question?”** ****

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**“Shoot.”** ****

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**“Why did ONI give you this assignment?Why did you take it?It’s not been that long since the Republic worked you over.”**

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**“Two questions, Curley, but I’ll try to be as straightforward as I can.”He paused so long, the COB began to wonder if his commander had fallen back to sleep.“I can only guess that the ONI wanted to see if I still had the ability to do these assignments.”There was another pause.“I suppose I wanted to find out the same thing,” Crane added in a softer, introspective voice.**

**Curley said nothing for a moment.He really couldn’t.Finally he said, “I guess I volunteered to come here for the same reason.”The chief sighed lustily.There was several minutes’ silence where the only sound was water dripping and birds calling to each other outside of the cave.“I’ve got the damned annual physical coming up and I’ve been feeling my age lately.”** ****

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**“You?Age?” Crane asked, incredulous.“Curley, you’re ageless.You’ll be able to swim circles around me when you’re a hundred.”** ****

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**Curley just snorted.** ****

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**“I just hope that hauling me around didn’t hurt you any.”**

**“Nah, Skipper,” he lied, still feeling muscles protest. “You’d have done the same for me.”Then he stopped and thought a minute.“Well, you’d have tried.”And then he chuckled.After a moment, Crane joined him.**

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**“Curley, you’ll live forever.”** ****

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**The chief knew that statement was a lie, too.But he felt a kind of comfort in hearing the skipper say it.It was silent for several moments.Then Curley heard a soft rustling at the entrance.Even before he could raise his gun, he heard Kidseri’s soft voice.**

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**“Kidseri,” Crane said in the darkness.**

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**The native made no more comment, but a soft sound near the chief’s side was supplanted by the equally soft glow from a stubby candle.Kidseri set it down in the tiny cavity of a rock and motioned.**

**“Well, it seems we’re safe for the moment,” Crane said.**

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**Curley had picked up the same thing.“But they’re going to wait at the village,” he added.**

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**“Then we leave a different—ah!What the….?” Crane cried out sharply.**

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**Kidseri was examining the captain’s wound, pushing and prodding.He mimed a snake and Crane nodded.Curley knew it was easier for the skipper to do so than to try and explain what really happened.Kidseri made more motions, then left.**

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**“Thankful the other symptoms seem to have gone away, but that hurt,” the captain said.** ****

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**“What did you mean, ‘by a different’?You mean we’ll leave the island a different way?I thought the only way on or off was by the special ferry boats or excursion boats.”** ****

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**“Part of a pre-arranged plan, whether I had gotten away Scot-free or not.Kidseri has one of the larger canoes in his village and he goes out to fish when he’s not guiding tourists into the hills.He is going to sail us beyond the reef and the _Seaview_ is going to pick us up.”__**

** **

** _  
_ ** ****

**“The _Seaview?_”**

**“Yes, presumably on their way through the Bay of Bengal from Thailand toward the states, the boat is going to pass by the Andaman Islands.Discreetly, of course.The only one with any kind of sophisticated radar equipment on this island is the person I was spying on.”** ****

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**“Oh,” Curley said.**

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**“Chief,” Crane began, his voice suddenly serious.“Just in case something happens, I need you to get the microfilm I’m carrying to the _Seaview._”He reached inside his shirt. “Make sure the admiral gets it.”** ****

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**“You hang onto whatever you have, Skipper.I’ll make sure you get back.”** ****

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**“Curley, if it becomes necessary, you will take my package,” Crane repeated.“And that is an order.”** ****

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**“If it becomes necessary,” the COB replied somberly.** ****

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**“Packet’s strapped around my waist,” the captain said softly as Kidseri suddenly seemed to materialize in front of them.** ****

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**“How the hell does he do that?” Curley whispered to Crane.The only reply was a shrug.**

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**Kidseri worked deftly and quickly on the captain’s ankle, cutting into the wound and then cleaning out the infection that had already begun to set in.Curley held Crane’s leg, while the native worked.To his credit, the skipper made very little noise.Only the ragged hissing of his breath and occasional soft moaning betrayed his pain.The native applied poultices, tied on with long strips of leaves.When Kidseri was finished, the captain sagged against Curley; asleep or unconscious he didn’t know.The Andamanese gestured and Curley understood enough to know they would start out first thing the next morning.**

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**Throughout the night, whenever he awoke, Kidseri gave the captain something to drink, either water or fruit juice, and then Crane would drift back to sleep again.Shortly before dawn, the skipper awoke, blinked groggily and then focused on the candle; a replacement to the one Kidseri had first lit.“What did you two slip me last night?” he asked sleepily.**

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**Kidseri nodded in satisfaction and stole out again.Curley just shrugged.“I didn’t have anything to give you, sir, so it must have been Kidseri.How do you feel?”** ****

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**“Other than like I’ve been drugged?” he replied.“Surprisingly, the leg feels much better.”** ****

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**Kidseri reappeared, a stout, freshly cut pole in his hand.He handed it to Crane and gestured that they needed to leave.The captain nodded and with Curley’s help, got up.He held tightly to the pole for a moment, but as he regained his equilibrium, he walked cautiously toward the cave entrance.Kidseri pulled the vines from the entrance and Crane limped through.The forest glistened from the sunlight reflecting off drops of water on the leaves and branches.As soon as their eyes adjusted to the bright light, the men began their hike down the hillside.Curley kept a close watch on the captain, but the injured man seemed to be holding his own fairly well.It was slow, but their progress was steady.By late afternoon, they had reached an overlook point above a beach area that Curley wasn’t familiar with.Below them lay deep blue waters.He guessed it would take another fifteen or so minutes to traverse the trail.**

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**“Kidseri,” Crane said.The native turned and watched the skipper, who made gestures for the guide to go ahead of them and get the canoe ready.With a nod, the Andamanese turned and slipped into the forest.Crane sat down at the edge of the escarpment and reached inside his waistband, pulling out a small package.Opening it up, he drew out a small signaling device.With it, he tapped out a message.When Crane was finished, he handed the device to Curley.“You know the codes.If another message has to be sent, you can do it.”** ****

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**“Aye, sir,” Curley replied.The two submariners began their descent again, staying in the shadows of the trees.**


	3. For Curley

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**Lee and Curley reached the end of the trail and gazed over the narrow beach.Kidseri was nowhere to be seen.Crane had a bad feeling about this.**

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**“Don’t like it, Skipper,” Curley said.“Too quiet.”** ****

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**Lee glanced back at the chief.Curley seemed a bit pale to him.The captain was worried that this mission had been too much for the older man.In fact, he’d been a bit concerned about Curley for several weeks, even to the point of suggesting a check up by Doc.That had fallen on deaf ears.He shifted and felt a twinge in his ankle.For that matter, neither of them was in terrific shape.Lee was astonished, however, at how quickly he was recovering from that poison.Definitely fast acting as was the curative that Kidseri had obviously given him.“I don’t either,” Crane concurred.“I don’t see Kidseri.He should have been out there in his canoe waiting by now.”They continued to wait.Still nothing seemed to be out there.Including their guide….** ****

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**“Look, Skipper,” Curley said softly, pointing.A simple dugout canoe bobbed on the water, coming toward their position.“Is that Kidseri?”** ****

**  
**

**Crane couldn’t tell who it was in the canoe.Still he hesitated.Why had Kidseri been so long?The small man was very quick in the forest and should have already been out there when they had reached the edge of the beach.Somehow, he was beginning to think it wasn’t their guide out there.It had all the makings of a trap.However, the _Seaview _was just beyond the reef, perhaps no more than a half-mile.Maybe a lot less.Definitely swimmable even if this canoe out there was some kind of a trap.“_Seaview’s_ out there, Curley.I think we’re going to have to make the move soon.And we can’t count on that being Kidseri.We may have to swim the whole way.”** ****

**  
**

**“Aye, sir.I believe you’re right.”Without any further word, he crept out of the brush and sprinted across the beach.**

**  
**

**A voice floated from the trees to the right of them.“Halt or we’ll shoot.”It was clipped, as though English wasn’t the speaker’s first language.Then without waiting, he began shooting.**

**  
**

_ **How did they know?** _ ** Crane asked himself savagely._But then Murphy always said there was no such thing as a simple mission._Lee streaked out from the brush, ignoring the pain in his leg.He crouched to present as small a target as possible, deviating slightly from Curley’s path.The chief was also crouched low, but hadn’t stopped running.They both zigzagged, sprinting as fast as they could across the fifty-foot span of the beach.The gunfire made a constant popping rhythm in their ears.The water mocked them and seemed to recede as they ran.And then, suddenly, they were there.Lee splashed into the oncoming waves, then he dove in.Just ahead of him, he saw Curley do the same and they were both swimming smooth easy strokes, working in the same cadence as the waves, diving through the larger ones.Occasionally he saw the spurting of water near them as the shooters on the beach still tried to hit them._We were lucky,_ he thought._I don’t think these jokers could hit the broad side of a large barn._Then he decided he’d better not congratulate their success yet.They weren’t anywhere near out of the woods.When Lee glanced over at Curley, he saw a grimace of pain and swam closer to his companion.**

**  
**

**Finally the shooting from the beach ceased, but the thunder of the waves on the reef brought his mind to a danger that was just as deadly.They would have to find a way through the reef.Kidseri would be able to do that.If that was Kidseri and not one of the near-sighted assassins who had been chasing him.The canoe was fairly close.“Curley, you okay?” he called out.**

**  
**

**The COB nodded. “Just a bit tired.”**

**  
**

**And Lee figured he would be, having stayed awake practically all night on guard duty.By the look of the sun it was late afternoon.He gestured that he would check out the canoe.There had been no movement; absolutely no indication that Kidseri was in it.Lee swam closer and a head rose up, leering at him.It definitely wasn’t Kidseri!** ****

**  
**

**A gun pointed directly at his head.Lee dove even as he heard a sharp report.There was a burning along his left side, but he continued swimming below.He turned and reached up out of the water with one hand.With a quick motion, Lee grabbed the gunwale and tipped the canoe, spilling his would-be assailant.**

**  
**

**Curley swam beside him.Kicking the flailing gunman out of the way, he said,“Idiot!Come out in a canoe and not even know more about swimming than a dog-paddle.”**

**  
**

**“Dog-paddle will get him back to shore,” Lee said tersely.“We have other problems to worry about.Get in, Chief.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, sir.I think they could still hit us from shore if they wanted to.”As though to punctuate his comment a couple of bullets splashed alongside.**

**  
**

**Crane gazed back at the beach and saw several men hauling a larger canoe with a motor to the edge of the water.He gazed back at the reef and would have cursed if a wave hadn’t splashed him in the face.“Well, you’d better hang on and paddle!We have company behind and the reef ahead.”** ****

**  
**

**“I’d rather take my chances with the reef, Skipper.”** ****

**  
**

**Lee felt the same way.The reef boomed nearer and nearer.Kidseri would know the best way through, but the Andamanese was not here to show them.“To the port,” he shouted, seeing the configuration of the waves to support a break in the reef.He sincerely hoped he was right in his guess.He had seen the damage a coral reef to do to a man’s legs and feet.**

**Curley nodded and they guided the canoe further to the left.The waves lifted them higher and pushed them back.Lee paddled harder.On the other side of the canoe, Curley did the same.The waves were demented creatures, grabbing and jerking at them.Lee clung to the overturned canoe and continued kicking.The canoe was jerked away and still he kept swimming toward the open ocean.His chest burned and his eyes stung, but he continued.It was the only thing he could do.Crane felt the pain of coral scraping against his foot, but he ignored it and then another wave lifted him up and over the reef.The waves were deafening.** ****

**  
**

**Suddenly he felt a hand clutching his arm and he saw Curley grabbing at him while still clutching to the overturned canoe with his other hand.**

**  
**

**Crane grabbed the canoe.“Thanks, Chief.”Curley nodded wearily.Exhaustion and pain was etched in his face.“You okay?” he mouthed over the beating waves.Again the chief nodded, but Lee knew it was a lie.He hoped the _Seaview _wasn’t too far out there.**

**  
**

**Then they were beyond the reef.The waves were still high, but not so frantic.The two men continued to paddle, clinging to the battered canoe.Crane kept stealing glances at the beleaguered COB.He also listened for the sound of a boat motor.At the moment he could hear nothing, but that didn’t mean a thing with the beating of the ocean behind them.**

**  
**

**Suddenly, Curley’s grip loosened and he slipped beneath the surface.**

**  
**

**“Curley!” Lee cried, grabbing for the chief.His hand came up empty and he released the canoe and dove under the waves.There!Crane grabbed the chief’s arm and kicked toward the surface.That had been too close, Crane thought as he broke the surface of the water and gasped for air.“Curley!” he called again, right in the COB’s ear.**

**  
**

**“Just slipped,” Curley answered, choking and coughing.**

**  
**

**“Yeah,” Lee replied, sputtering as a wave slapped him in the face.“Just kick a little and let’s find the _Seaview_.”He continued to hang onto Curley’s arm while the chief kicked, propelling them further and further out to sea.Crane knew that he had received the confirmation that the subwas in the area when he had signaled them on the cliff.They were still too close to the reef, though.They had to swim out further.He heard the sputtering of an outboard motor behind them and felt the pang of despair in his chest.They were definitely in serious trouble now.**

**  
**

**“Skipper!Chief!”**

**  
**

**It couldn’t be, but it was!That had been Kowalski’s voice.The despair flew away and was supplanted by complete relief and joy.“Chief!Get the lead out!”He jerked Curley around and began a breaststroke to watch the approaching rescue craft.He heard gunfire and the whizzing of bullets over his head.Kowalski was returning fire.The chief swam easily beside him now.Lee grinned at Curley as they neared the rubber raft.“Custer didn’t buy it this time!”** ****

**  
**

**“No, sir,” Curley said wanly.**

**  
**

**Eager hands pulled them on board and soon the skiff’s little engine gunned to life and they were heading toward the _Seaview_.**

**  
**

**========**

**  
**

**This time when Crane sat in sick bay waiting for his exam, he felt relief.Not so, the COB, and Lee figured he knew why.“Doc, unless you have a reason not to do it, can you give me the once over so I can report to the admiral and give him the information ONI wanted,” he suggested.He figured Curley would rather be alone with the doctor rather than having an audience to his misery.** ****

**  
**

**Doc nodded and checked his ankle and then his foot where he had grazed the coral.After dressing those, he examined and dressed the grazing bullet wound on his side.Lee winced at Doc’s handling, all the while realizing he was in much better shape than he had been the night before.**

**  
**

**The CMO gazed carefully at his face.A nice, dark bruise was manifest next to his left eye.“Someone really nailed you this time, Captain.”**

**“Uh, yeah, Doc.Curley and I had to battle it out back there to get away.Those were tough hombres,” Lee said glibly, glancing at Curley.Not a lie, really, he thought.**

**“Oh, you’ll need to stay off that foot as much as you can, Captain.Light duty for the next few days.Now, you’d better report to the admiral before he calls down here,” Doc said with a slight smile.**

**  
**

**“Aye, sir,” he said smartly and then slid off the exam table. **

**  
**

**“Canes are in that locker, Skipper.Use one for a day or two to help the foot.”**

**Lee grimaced as he did what the doctor had directed.“Have fun,” he told Curley sourly and limped out of Sick Bay.The chief looked a little depressed as Crane left.**

**  
**

**The admiral was indeed waiting impatiently in his cabin.Lee gave him the tiny camera that he had worn just above his waist for the past couple of days.The admiral himself would develop it in _Seaview’s _small darkroom and the photos and Lee’s report would be encoded and transmitted ultra secretly to Washington.For his part, Crane was glad to be rid of it.** ****

**  
**

**“Did you find out what happened to Kidseri?” he asked Nelson.**

**  
**

**The admiral nodded.“Ski found him bound and gagged near the beach where he had been keeping his canoe.”Nelson chuckled.“He vowed never to guide Americans again.”** ****

**  
**

**“I hope he was well compensated for his trouble, as well as his lost canoe.”**

**“Enough to buy ten canoes,” the admiral said with a bright smile.**

**  
**


	4. For Curley

**Lee Crane was finishing his report when someone knocked on his door.He glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost eleven.“Come in,” he said, curious as to who might be wanting to see him at this hour.**

**  
**

**“Skipper?”** ****

**  
**

**Crane figured the last person up and about now would have been Curley, but there he was in the doorway, an official looking paper in his hand.The chief still looked drawn from their latest venture.“Come on in, Curley, and pull up a chair.”**

**  
**

**The chief came in but didn’t sit down right away.He handed the paper to Lee, who quickly opened it and read it.Then he reread it.Lee laid the sheet down on his desk and gazed meaningfully into the chief’s eyes.He motioned him to sit down. This time Curley did.“You sure you want to do this?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, sir,” Curley said.“I always vowed I wouldn’t leave the service when some doctor said I had to, but when I decided it was time.”** ****

**  
**

**“Doc…?”** ****

**  
**

**Curley shook his head.“But he ordered tests.”** ****

**  
**

**“He’s always ordering tests, Chief.You know that.”** ****

**  
**

**Again, Curley shook his head.“Skipper, I know what I felt on that island.How I felt.With your help, I made it, but the next time someone may die because I wasn’t able to do my job.”** ****

**  
**

**“You saved my life on that island, Curley,” Lee said softly.“They would have found me and killed me if not for you.”** ****

**  
**

**“Maybe, maybe not, sir, but when I slipped from the canoe….”** ****

**  
**

**Lee nodded and pointed to his chest.“The first time?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, sir, but the worst.”** ****

**  
**

**“You know, there are procedures that will fix various heart problems, Curley.”** ****

**  
**

**“But not for submarine service, Skipper.You know we have to follow strict regulations, even on _Seaview._”** ****

**  
**

**Lee nodded again, then cursed under his breath.Curley was invaluable.**

**  
**

**“Uh, sir.I, uh, brought something.”** ****

**  
**

**Crane looked back up.Curley had a bottle of what appeared to be very good Scotch.“That looks like something you would want to save for a retirement party when we get back to the Institute.”** ****

**  
**

**“The thought crossed my mind, but, uh, Skipper, I would like to share a private drink with you.Then the rest?Well, that can be later, with the others.”** ****

**  
**

**“Why me?”Indeed, thought Lee, as much as they had worked together, Curley Jones had always seemed to be a bit stand-offish toward him.** ****

**  
**

**“Well, Captain, let’s just say I learned something on that island.”** ****

**  
**

**“I think we both did,” Lee said meaningfully.He dug around and found a glass; couldn’t find a second glass, so he wiped out a coffee mug.** ****

**  
**

**Curley poured a finger of the Scotch into each container.“I bought this when I was in Glasgow a couple of years ago.When I heard I’d been tapped for the _Seaview._Figured it would be for the inaugural voyage, but it just didn’t happen that way.”** ****

**  
**

**“Just makes the Scotch better, Chief.”Lee’s emotions were of sadness tinged with something else.He couldn’t quite lay a finger on it.**

**  
**

**Curley raised his glass.Lee did the same.With a grin, he pronounced, “To the best twenty-five years a man could ever hope for.”** ****

**  
**

**They clinked their glass/mug together and downed the Scotch.Lee poured another small amount.He had his own toast to make.“To the best damned COB in the Navy . . . or out of it,” he said solemnly.**

**Curley blushed, then drank.**

**  
**

**Lee downed his as well.While he normally didn’t drink the stronger stuff like whiskey, this slid down smoothly.Then Crane recognized the other emotion.It was gratitude; intense gratitude to have been lucky enough to be on this boat and to know men like Curley Jones and the rest of the crew.**

**  
**

**“Thank you, sir,” Curley said.“Would you keep this until we get back to Santa Barbara?”He put the cap back on the bottle.** ****

**  
**

**Lee nodded.**

**  
**

**I appreciate that, sir.”Curley stood there for a moment and then said, “I, uh, better hit the sack.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah, tomorrow we’re back on duty.I will get this to the admiral in the morning.”He stood up.“I’m going to miss you, Curley,” he said softly.**

**  
**

**Curley grinned.“I’ll be here until we get back to the Institute, Captain.”** ****

**  
**

**Lee returned the grin.“Indeed you will.”Curley left and Crane gazed at the resignation request.Finally, with a sigh, he got ready for bed.**

**  
**

**Crane woke up to banging on his door.He jerked out of his bunk, almost hitting his head as he jumped to his feet.Ignoring the twinge of pain in his foot, he pulled on his pants.The banging continued.“Come in,” he called.**

**  
**

**Kowalski, eyes large and face pale, rushed in as Lee grabbed his shirt.“Sir, Chief Jones….”** ****

**  
**

**Lee felt his heart squeeze in horror.**

**  
**

**“Curley is dead, Skipper!”** ****

**  
**

**“When, how?” Crane asked.But he felt he already knew the answers.**

**  
**

**“Doc says he had a heart attack while he was sleeping.He’s in sick bay, sir.”** ****

**  
**

**“I’ll be right there,” Lee answered, following Ski out the door, buttoning his shirt as he rushed down the corridor.Curley had known.Somehow, he had known.Even though he had tendered his resignation, he had beaten it and died in the service he loved so much….** ****

**  
**

**  
**

**After the funeral, most of the crewmembers took over the largest bar and grill in Santa Barbara—Lucky Joe’s.Crane brought the bottle with him that Curley had left him that night.It wouldn’t go around to all the men here, but the toast would be viable nonetheless.The bartender gazed in shock at the 100 men crowded into his establishment and then called into the back room for the waitresses to bring out all the glasses they had.He saw Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane, who ordered a dozen bottles of the same type of whiskey that the captain had in his hand.**

**  
**

**When the glasses had been passed around and a small amount of whiskey poured into each glass, Lee gazed at the admiral.He had not told Nelson about Curley’s visit, nor had he mentioned the resignation.That piece of paper had ended up shredded in his garbage can.Somehow he felt it was Nelson who should give the first toast.However, to his surprise, the admiral deferred to the captain of the boat.Lee raised his glass and the others did the same.He was about to make the same toast he had voiced in his cabin, but then he hesitated, lowering his arm.The men gazed at him expectantly, the admiral looked concerned, but still the words stuck in his throat.He looked over the assemblage.Most of these men had known the chief far longer than he had.**

**  
**

**Then he saw a figure move at the fringes of the crowd of men, a man he recognized, and he stared for the briefest of moments, incredulous._Oh, Curley, you left too soon._The figure smiled and half saluted, half waved and then wiped his hand over his face, in a move that Lee found so characteristic of the chief.He couldn’t help it, he grinned at the spectral figure and raised his glass in Curley’s direction.And in a voice hardly more than a whisper, Lee said, “To Curley Jones—what greater privilege than to call you friend.”**

**  
**

**Only the clink of 100 glasses broke the respectful silence.The figure waved again and was gone.**

**  
**

**Rest in Peace, Henry Kulky and CPO Curley Jones** ****

**  
**


End file.
